Normally open valve construction having a deformable bladder

Claim 2

A normally open valve for a fluid system comprising: a valve housing defining first and second fluid ports and a fluid passageway extending between the ports; a deformable metallic bladder mounted in the valve housing with one portion in a crushed condition projecting into the passageway at a station between the first and second ports, the bladder in the uncrushed condition having an elongated tubular configuration which is closed at one end and forms an opening at the opposite end and having a tube wall defining a tube cross-section completely filling the fluid passageway at said station, and in the crushed condition having the tube wall in the crushed portion substantially collapsed upon itself whereby the fluid passageway is not fully obstructed between the ports and means mounted in the opposite end of the metallic bladder for movement through the bladder and for deforming the collapsed tube wall outwardly in the fluid passageway of the valve housing to close the passageway between the ports.

Claim 3

A normally open valve as defined in claim 1 wherein the means for deforming comprises a piston having a shaped head facing the closed end of the metallic bladder and a skirt section fitted tightly within the opposite end of the bladder.

Claim 4

The valve of claim 2 wherein an inhibited propellant charge is mounted at the skirt section of the piston facing the opposite end of the metallic bladder.

Claim 5

A valve construction comprising: a housing having at least two ports and an interconnecting passageway defining a fluid flow path between the ports; a thin walled tube extending transversely across at least one portion of the passageway in the housing and having the tube wall in the passageway folded upon itself to form a flat tube section in the passageway allowing fluid to pass between the ports, the folded tube wall also having a cross-section when unfolded obstructing said one portion of the passageway between the ports and a piston mounted in a section of the tube displaced from the flat section and being sized and shaped to move into the folded tube section and deform the folded tube wall outwardly into sealing relationship with the passageway.

Claim 6

A valve construction comprising: a housing having at least two ports and an interconnecting passageway defining a fluid flow path between the ports; a thin walled tube extending transversely across at least one portion of the passageway in the housing and having the tube wall in the passageway folded upon itself to form a flat tube section in the passageway allowing fluid to pass between the ports, the folded tube wall also having a cross-section when unfolded obstructing said one portion of the passageway between the ports and a piston mounted in a section of the tube displaced from the flat section and being sized and shaped to move into the folded tube section and deform the folded tube wall outwardly into sealing relationship with the passageway.

Claim 7

The valve construction of claim 4 wherein the piston fits in sealing relationship in one end of the thin walled tube out of the passageway and wherein an inhibited propellent charge is carried at one side of the piston facing away from the folded tube wall in the passageway.

Claim 8

The valve construction of claim 4 further including a gas generator mounted in sealing relationship in one end of the thin walled tube.

Claim 9

The valve construction of claim 6 wherein the end of the thin walled tube opposite the end having the gas generator is a closed end.

Claim 10

A normally open valve for a fluid system comprising: a valve housing defining first and second fluid ports and a fluid passageway extending between the ports, the housing having another opening at the housing exterior communicating with the passageway at a station between the ports; and a tube-like, deformable, metallic bladder mounted in the opening of the valve housing with a first end portion and an opposite, second end portion, the first end portion being in a crushed condition and projecting into the passageway at the station between the first and second ports, the first end portion of the bladder in the uncrushed condition having an elongated tubular configuration which is closed at the one end and which has a tube wall defining a tube cross-section completely obstructing the fluid passageway at said station, the first end portion in the crushed condition having the tube wall substantially collapsed upon itself whereby the fluid passageway is not fully obstructed between the ports, and the second end portion of the bladder being uncrushed and having a tubular cross section substantially filling the opening in the valve housing.

Claim 11

A normally open valve for a fluid system comprising: a valve housing defining first and second fluid ports and a fluid passageway extending between the ports, the housing having another opening at the housing exterior communicating with the passageway at a station between the ports; and a tube-like, deformable, metallic bladder mounted in the opening of the valve housing with a first end portion and an opposite, second end portion, the first end portion being in a crushed condition and projecting into the passageway at the station between the first and second ports, the first end portion of the bladder in the uncrushed condition having an elongated tubular configuration which is closed at the one end and which has a tube wall defining a tube cross-section completely obstructing the fluid passageway at said station, the first end portion in the crushed condition having the tube wall substantially collapsed upon itself whereby the fluid passageway is not fully obstructed between the ports, and the second end portion of the bladder being uncrushed and having a tubular cross section substantially filling the opening in the valve housing.

Claim 12

A normally open valve as defined in claim 8 wherein the metallic bladder in the crushed condition has the collapsed tube wall at said crushed end portion flattened in a planar configuration; and the bladder is mounted in the valve housing with the planar configuration generally aligned with the fluid flow path defined by the fluid passageway and thereby minimizes the resistance to fluid flow.

Claim 13

A normally open valve as defined in claim 9 wherein the metallic bladder in the crushed condition has the tube wall at said first end portion folded inwardly at one side and flattened in a series of convolutions.

Claim 14

A normally open valve as defined in claim 8 wherein: the first end portion of the metallic bladder in the valve housing has the tube wall collapsed upon itself and flattened between said opening in the valve housing and the closed end portion of the tubular configuration.

Claim 15

A normally open valve as defined in claim 8 further including means connected with the second portion of the metallic bladder in the housing for pressurizing the bladder to deform the crushed tube wall to the uncrushed condition obstructing the passageway in the housing.

Claim 16

A normally open valve as in claim 12 wherein the means for pressurizing includes a pyrotechnic squib mounted in sealing relationship in the second end portion of bladder.

Claim 17

A normally open valve as defined in claim 8 wherein: the deformable bladder is mounted in the housing with the crushed end portion located closer to one side of the passageway thAn the other side.

Claim 18

A normally open valve as defined in claim 8 wherein: the crushed end portion of the metallic bladder has the tube wall folded inwardly at several sides and flattened in a series of convolutions.

Claim 19

A normally open valve as defined in claim 8 further including: sealing means embedded in the valve housing and cooperating with the metallic bladder in the uncrushed condition to achieve a fluid-tight closure of the valve.

Claim 20

A normally open valve as defined in claim 8 wherein: the valve housing has a cylindrical extension connecting with the fluid passageway at one end and defining the opening at the other end; and the second end portion of the bladder has a cylindrical cross section fitting coaxially within the cylindrical extension of the housing.